Some gems get missed the first time around. In 1993, Chicago’s Death / Thrashers Demented Ted put out their only album, PROMISES IMPURE, and it pretty much flew under the radar. Maybe their strange name caused deathmetallers to overlook them. A good friend of mine that was very plugged into the underground had the CD, so I made a cassette copy of it and I remember being impressed with the surprisingly strong musicianship for a debut album. Demented Ted broke up a year later and band members moved onto other bands, most notably bassist Mark Kolar joined Kommandant. Thanks to Repulsive Echo Records, PROMISES IMPURE is getting a second chance with a reissue. Let’s see if the album is as good as I remembered it.

It’s actually better than I remembered it! Demented Ted played old school death / thrash with a bit of groove here and there, and it all blends very well. Opening track “Existence Lies Beneath” has a bit of a SPRIITUAL HEALING era Death meets Malevolent Creation vibe with cool solos and chugging guitars. Ron Janis sounds like STILLBORN era Brett Hoffman without the super elongated growls, his vocals are strong throughout the album, sufficiently guttural but understandable. First few tracks are straight up death metal with some good technical leads and solos; I really dig “Psychopathology” and “Incisions”. Things get thrashier with “Liquid Remains”, and “Geneticide”, the riffing and bass lines remind me of Testament and there is some groove skillfully woven in. Album ends with an assault, closing track “Forgotten” features some blistering drumming. Not a bad song on the album.

Packaging is great, Repulsive Echo has done a nice job. It’s a digipak with full artwork and a band photo on the inner sleeves. Booklet contains all lyrics and folds out to a mini poster, very cool.

This is quality old school death / thrash with excellent musicianship and some catchiness. Recommended for fans of extreme metal. If you missed this album back in the day, don’t miss it now!